CW:

Spoiler

Forced Detransition (Failed)

[collapse]

Fox

 

“WHAT?!” I shout, the speech binding stitches of my doll form finally relenting as I feel the storming energy inside released.

“Annette,” I begin, turning to my plush friend as we dash around Waywright’s quickly diminishing thralls, “I loath saying it, but you might be better in a fight with our allies back near the seraphim.”

My puppet pal pouts at me, but nods.

“Take care of yourself sister. I’ll miss you…”

And with that, she poofs away, leaving me almost alone. I can see Cat dashing towards Sue-Zee, my partner looking just as frantic as I!

“Sue-Zee, what the HELL are you DOING?!” Cat yells.

The duo promptly ignores any questioning of their clearly very sound and not at all dangerous plan. The suit they once inhabited pulses with an ominous red light, yet even still, they grab ahold of it, fucking, hauling it up in their arms?! How strong ARE these two?! They’re clearly putting a lot of effort into it, evident by how red their face is, but still! They begin spinning, using the weight of the suit to build more and more momentum before hurling the entire thing up in the air, a lot higher than I’d expect any normal human to be capable of! Then again, these two are far from normal humans in the oddest ways...

“Self-destruct in: Ten…”

“You heard us! FIRE!!”

Our navigators quickly begin to flee as Cat and I look at one another and nod.

“Eight…”

I leap forward, Cat running even faster to get closer to me before I land and whip up a melodic wind, an airy seesaw pushing Cat up into the air as my wind follows her ascent, the girl suspended right where Sue-Zee’s suit is falling.

“Four…”

“SPECIAL DELIVERY, YOU ANGELIC ASSHOLE!!”

Cat brandishes her morning star and begins spinning like a tornado, the wind around her adding some much needed oomph to her hit as she sends the suit flying far, far into the distance, straight for Metatron!

“Two… Bing! Have a nice da--!”

BOOOOOOOM!!!

A gigantic explosion silences all other sounds as its massive burst shudders the very air of the battlefield! Even the sound of our souls is quieted by the deafening blast, remaining very still even as the smoke fades…

“...No way…” I mutter to myself in disbelief as Cat lands next to me and we look to the Voice of God. 

Though not completely unphased, they took relatively no damage from an attack bigger than either of us have ever managed before… The glass that makes up their chest appears receded somewhat, but pulls itself back together with ease.

“SINNERS, YOU FIND YOURSELF BEFORE THE VOICE OF GOD. REPENT, LEST THINE LIVES BE FORFEIT TO THE WILL OF THEIR GREAT RADIANCE.”

Dear god, their voice is even stronger from here… They don’t even bother to stand up and face us, still, sitting atop their gigantic throne, an eyeless face all seeing, gazing into our souls.

“Fuck you!” Cat begins yelling. “If being happy with who we are is a sin, then I’ll sin! I’ll sin, and I’ll sin again, and I’ll do it because it’s right! Because nothing has ever felt more right!!”

She points right at Metatron’s head, the anger pushing back her fear becoming evident by the hissing scowl on her face.

“So FUCK YOU!! Fuck Waywright, fuck your angels, fuck your STUPID, HOLY HELL FUCKERY, I’LL SHOW YOU THE SIN OF BEATING YOUR ASS INTO DUST!!”

I barely have a chance to register all of that before she begins dashing in Metatron’s direction, and I follow swiftly behind. Before we can even get close enough to attack directly, however, the Voice of God, without moving an inch of their body, summons stained glass hands almost as big as their own from beneath the clouds. They rise before us, walling our path; they rise below, grasping for our sinful bodies; they even rise above to strike down at us. As slow as they move, having to leap within the limited space formed by the other hands to avoid being captured makes dodging those above no easy task.

Seeing a hand rising below Cat as she evades another, I attempt to slash at it with a windy scythe, but I can’t even make it move! Instead of offense, then, I let the wind take me, disappearing from sight and reappearing next to Cat, taking her in my arms and leaping away.

“We can’t fight these things, we have to go--”

“Yeah, get the hell out of here!” Cat interrupts, sounding just as upset by the prospect of abandoning this fight. “How are we supposed to fight Metatron if we can’t even do a lick of damage to these?!”

“I don’t know!” I admit with an exhausted voice, putting Cat back on her feet as we run. “Maybe if we get close enough we can find a weakness!”

Before I can theorize any further, I let the wind pull me up as a whirling pistol fills each of my palms. I blast away at another hand coming up from behind us, my bullets actually managing to stagger them somewhat! Cat growls and joins in with her morning star, pushing them back with heavy handed swings as I attack the ones she can’t.

“We have to try, at least until the others can get here to help!”

Cat nods reluctantly as I land, reaching out and taking her hand, pulling her close and letting the wind take us both, the breeze carrying us up and away, moving us from here to there until we’re higher than the hand walls, allowing us to leap over and continue our advance on Metatron.

 

At least, that was the plan.

The moment our feet find themselves resting atop the mirage of clouds beneath, the soul shuddering voice of Metatron booms from above, helplessness straining my body as we’re trapped between the whims of a god.

“THE WEIGHT OF YOUR SOULS IS PALPABLE.”

Our usually nimble bodies feel constrained and crushed as he speaks, giving neither of us ample time to react to the shifting of the stained glass hands behind us. They move without sound or weight, appearing like a cosmic force beyond mortal understanding as they form around us, melding into one another, fingers curling over us and locking together to form a roof above.

“BE JUDGED, LEST A CONFRONTATION WITH THE ARBITER OF THE GREAT ONE’S LIGHT BE UNCEREMONIOUS IN ITS BREVITY.”

More and more hands of stained glass line themselves before us, behind us, even under our feet, constructing something vaguely hallway shaped as control is returned to our bodies.

With the path behind us blocked, running is no longer an option. Instead the hallway the hands have formed is leading us forward still towards the door forming upon the hand at the end. The uncanny light of the golden sky flitters through the outer side of each hand, yet appears to be contained within each fiber of glass before it can shine through, creating a wall of solid light that casts an even more uncomfortable effect on us inside its confines: shadowless beings in a realm without light. Everything looks just a little off, flatter than normal, colours without shape illuminated by a light that does not exist here.

You still have one shadow. I can help! Just...you must let me out…!!

An odd shudder runs through my body, my fur standing up on its ends as we reach the end of the hall. Listen, shadow, I don’t know what you are, but I’m going to be a little hesitant to play along with you after everything you’ve said to me. 

But you--!!

Cat’s paw finds its way to my shoulder just as the other rests upon the handle of the unshapely door before us.

“One last fight. Just you and me versus the world.”

“Like old times, eh?”

My partner puts on the best smile she can in such a dire situation, leaning down to kiss my head before pulling back and nodding.

“Only now, we know why we need to make it through to the other end. Together.”

I give her a nod in return, prompting the cat to twist the handle of the door without a sound, burglar instincts kicking in as we slink into the next room. We might just need those instincts a while longer, it would seem.

Castle halls of glass and light twist and curve unnaturally around us, as if this were created by one whose conception of a stone fortress was completely alien to our own. Shimmering curtains and drapery of light hang from the oddly curving walls, forming an unnatural rhythm between them and the many doors and even gates lining the halls. Door, door, gate, curtain, door, curtain, gate, door, curtain, curtain, door, gate…. My assessment of Metatron’s lack of interior design prowess is interrupted, however, by a droning chanting.

“Holy, holy, holy…”

The two of us make no mistake of dawdling, zipping behind the curtains of light nearest and watching a seraph shifting through the hall made much too small for its giant wings. It moves like an octopus, each wing seamlessly weaving over the unnatural shape of the hall one after another. A glance to my partner confirms we’re on the same page, watching intently as the chanting grows louder and louder, reverberating through our souls.

“Holy, holy, HOLY SH--!!”

In a swift motion, I detach the curtains from their hanging place and throw both it and myself over the seraph, twisting and weaving the thankfully obtuse drapery over every inch of their angelic body, containing it with the sound of straining rope that forms windy binds all about our target. Given just enough time to set up her attack, Cat bumps her hip into the light formed construct in the shape of a huge spot light, and I dodge to her side just in time to avoid the massive ray of heat and fire shooting out of it like a cannon, incinerating the angel from within its confines of light.

A high five is most certainly in order after such coordination, but it’s a short lived victory as our adversary makes themselves known once more, the entirety of the glass halls shaking as they speak.

“SIN HIDDEN FROM SIGHT IS SIN ALL THE SAME. THE WEIGHT OF YOUR VERY EXISTENCE TIPS THE SCALE OF SOULS. WITHIN THE REALM OF THE GREAT LIGHT ABOVE ALL, YOU ARE WITNESSED, AND JUDGED.”

“Witness and judge this, why don’tcha?!” I bark in response, turning tail and taunting the all seeing being with a slap of my ass, Cat snorting along with me before we begin making our way through Metatron’s manor, emboldened by our small win.

 

A seraph here, a seraph there, the winding halls of the unstable manor proves to be to our advantage as we keep stealth a priority. Ahh, it feels good to get back to our roots. Even with the added benefit of magic, nothing quite matches the thrill of the thief, hiding in rooms devoid of shape and purpose, only to slink out when the moment’s right. With my grappling hook wound and sent flying around an angel, I pull them into the empty room with a cartoonish woosh, like an airy cane pulling a performer off stage, only for Cat to jump out of another door and snap a picture of the lone seraph with a camera of light. The flash stuns and sears them just long enough for her to chuck an arm full of light-constructed flash bangs in with them, shoving the door closed swiftly before--

BOOOM!! 

A quick opening of the door reveals a room charred black, roasted feathers fluttering about. Each angel defeated only helps to build our confidence going forward, whether I crush them against the wall, or Cat burns them to a crisp, it feels like we just can’t lose!

Soon enough, the many corridors come to an end as we find ourselves standing before a looming gate, larger than any other we’ve seen up until this point. Looking at each other one last time, Cat and I nod, taking the other’s hand and pushing through to find ourselves within a large castle dining hall, fit for royalty, though no human royalty would ever fit in the undulating glass seats of this room.

Sitting before us is none other than Metatron, though, a much more reasonably sized one, only being a few feet taller than Cat if they were to stand up.

“TRIFLING SINNERS. THE GREAT LIGHT OFFERS YOU BUT ONE LAST CHANCE TO SUBSIDE, AND BE GRANTED A PAINLESS NONEXISTENCE. REPENT, AND YOU SHALL KNOW--”

BANG.

“Painless nonexistence?” I jeer, spinning my windy pistol around my finger before blowing the green smoke from its barrel. “Pardon me, but dishing out painful existence to uppity snobs like you is our profession.”

We’re given little chance to react after my quip as a blinding, painful light is released from the hole I shot through Mini-tron’s chest, blowing back all tables and chairs as they’re shattered into millions of shards of glass. The flying shrapnel ceases all movement after being launched a mere few feet away from where they once were, slowly rotating in place. The glint subsides, revealing a swarm of razor sharp glass shards scattered all about the room, and behind them, stands Mini-tron at full height.

“Brzt-- Are you two alright?! I’ve gotten to safety, but Metatron just stood up, and they’re kind of huge and menacing!”

“We’ve got this under control, Sue,” I answer, though the fear the god instills in my shaking body says otherwise. “Stay safe, please. I promise, everything will be--”

Before I can fully reassure our navigators, Mini-tron raises their hand and points towards us, causing all the glass shards to turn their sharpest edge in our direction before hurtling towards us. Side stepping in front of my partner, I pull my tail up in front of me, attempting to take the brunt of the attack as each projectile pelts against the sound of bullets against steel, my windy barrier attempting to push them all back yet largely failing to do so. Behind me, Cat wields dual sabers, trying to burn through what glass she can, but finding it just as fruitless, especially when every attack we repel simply comes flying back at us, unrelenting as they rebound again and again.

“MEANINGLESS STRUGGLES. THIS IS THE PAIN YOU SOUGHT THROUGH SIN. MERCY WAS OFFERED, YET, SO TAINTED WITH DARKNESS, YOU SAW NO PATH BUT THE BRUTALITY YOU NOW BEAR.”

Try as I might to push forward against the relentless cuts and punctures, I only feel my body weakening under the weight of Metatron’s voice and attacks. It’s too damn loud! The sounds I try to conjure simply flicker and fade as the Voice of God speaks over them. Cuts and gashes seemingly appear without reason with the speed at which the glass swarms, the unending pain making my legs tremble and falter. Dammit! This can’t be it! 

Let me out! Don’t let us both die here! We can’t protect anybody if we’re dead!

As much as I regret admitting it...I could use a hand here. I’m trusting you, shadow. Don’t prove my fears about you right.

 

“Darkness…? I’ll show you the darkness cast by your very light, false god!” the shadow says through me, darkness coating my tail in a shadow as black as ink, slamming down before me and consuming the glass within its shade. 

I still feel the pain of every vicious edge, yet somehow, like this, the pain only fuels me. The darkness moves from my tail to my arm, and in swinging my claw forward, I watch the shadow upon it stretch longer and larger in the same shape, grabbing more and more pain before receding. That empowered claw that moves to grab Cat by the waist, pulling her closer as the dark moves to my other arm.

“Fox…?!”

“Stay close, stay safe. Please.”

The darkened claw reaches back, taking more cuts and scratches as I hold Cat close, and she holds tightly to me. Bending my legs, I leap straight for Mini-tron, a giant, dark fist reeled back before launching it straight into the false god with my wind empowering it as the sound of a cannon firing echoes upon impact.

That’s...all I can do. 

You sound exhausted. 

I put all I could into that with what energy you allowed me. 

And I’m grateful for that. Thank you, shadow.

“I’ll think of a better name than that later…” is all she musters before her voice becomes quiet, inside and out. 

The shadow around my arm fades away while the impact of the attack continues to ripple through Mini-tron before shattering just like the furniture had before. Then, as Cat and I step back, the entire room, no, the entire manor shatters as well, more shards than we could even imagine floating and rotating in place as Metatron, the full, entire god stands before us.

Behind them float three pairs of glass wings, one pair looking more akin to bird wings, the next appearing like bat wings, and the last taking on a more angelic look. They’re...terrifying. The colours of their stained glass body shift even faster than before, like eyes rapidly moving back and forth underneath each fragment. I didn’t think a being as emotionless as this could express anything, but it’s clear that this giant is furious.

“I SEE NOW YOU ARE CORRUPTED BEYOND ABSOLUTION. TARNISH THE FORM OF THE GREAT LIGHT NO LONGER, SINNERS, FOR YOU WILL KNOW HOLY WRATH OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS.”

“You seek holy wrath?!”

Just in time as always, Niamh soars in, diving through the sea of glass to our sides, though clearly worse for wear because of it.

“I can bear the heavens’ anger just for you. Oh, good evening, girls~”

“Holy crap, are you okay, Niamh?! You look like shit!”

The snake simply laughs at Cat as she brings her wings around us both.

“Honey, I always look like a hot mess. Emphasis on hot~”

Niamh holds her hands close, an icy orb forming within as clouds rise around us all, crystalizing into a barrier of cold and snow.

“An adventurer’s instincts don’t just leave after a single journey, and they told me to be here with my girls. Just as I protected the goddess, so too will I offer my strength to you.”

The serpent glares up at the giant standing so close to us, crushing the orb of ice between her palms as snow and ice rise from the clouds below, far and wide around her barrier and strengthening it further.

“If I can help it, I won’t let this monstrosity lay a single finger on you. Not my beloved friends.”

Finally, the glass hanging all around us points inwards and begins pelting Niamh’s barrier, the snake woman only pulling us in closer the longer the attack goes on. Yet despite her best efforts, the relentless strikes of infinite glass begin to wane the barrier’s strength.

“Did you bring a plan beyond protecting us, Niamh?!”

“I’m afraid my specialty is in acting, not thinking, kitten. If only we had more time…!”

Time…more time… Well, shit, the winds let me do a whole lot of stupid stuff up until now. Why stop trying while we stand at death’s doorsteps?

“Open a gap for me, Cat.”

“Oh no, she’s about to do something really stupid.”

“Oh, but kitten! Stupid seems to work so well for you all~”

My partner groans, but without any better plans, begins to bore a circle in the ice barrier while I hold out my hand, hoping and praying this dumbass idea actually works. Lo and behold… a windy clock manifests in my grasp. The moment a perfect circle is melted through the ice, I lurch forward and kick it down.

“To live and love another day,” I murmur to myself amongst the chaos whirling outside, crushing the ticking clock in my hand, its monotonous droning echoing far and wide all across the battlefield as I feel my energy already beginning to fade. But I did it.

 

I’m simulating stopped time.

The wind holds everything in place. Everyone is conscious of what’s happening around them, but the air is still and holding every attack, every person, every bit of motion in place, besides my own. It’s…exhausting. If I had to guess, I only have a few seconds, if that with the attack needed to turn the tides of battle. Time to get to work then.

Weaving about the still shards of glass, I perch myself atop Niamh’s semi-spherical barrier, staring at the giant before me, searching desperately for a weakness while my own strength fades. The mouth. It’s gotta be the mouth. With the tock clicking, I hunker down, going through the motions once again, building a windy construct resembling a sniper rifle. But will that be enough? No, I need more… I focus, glaring ahead as the song in my heart moves alone, a solo of the soul as the rest of the band is frozen in time, only now, it’s not the wind guiding my arms, it’s my arms guiding the wind and my song. To my sides, windy spectres in my image follow my direction, a group of three of us all aiming down our sights.

“Voice of God, be silenced!”

BANG BANG BANG!! Three bullets fire almost simultaneously, just as I’m out of time, the sound of shattering glass echoes around me as my projectiles shoot at the mouth that is Metatron’s face! Even with “time” resumed, the glass around us halts, almost as if Metatron is stunned with surprise that I’d even managed such a feat.

Such victories can never last, can they though?

The ominously hanging glass begins to move once more, not towards us, however, rather, it all begins to gather, swarming about and conjoining, forming a hand larger and far sharper than any Metatron had sent our way, and glancing at the false god, it becomes evident why. Where their hand once was is now a hollow hole of glass. This is their hand. And it’s moving quickly towards me.

“FOX!!” Cat shouts frantically below me.

But not even her concern can move me, I simply don’t have the energy after such a strenuous attack. In a moment, I’m within Metatron’s grasp.

“HRK-- AHH!!”

Fuck, it hurts! It’s not just a crushing grip around my body, I can feel my very soul straining, the guitar of my heart creaking and cracking under the weight of Metatron’s might. Something inside of me is fighting back though, just enough for me to look and see Niamh shattering her barrier and throwing bolts of lightning at the hand while Cat hurls bombs and shoots lasers, though, that all does little to deter the false god. Dammit...so...close… I don’t even have time to warn Cat as I notice Metatron’s other hand missing, rising from the clouds below and swatting our snake away before grasping at my partner.

“C- CAT…!”

Niamh frantically flies up, doing all she can to fight back, but it’s no use.

“LET THEM GO!”

Her shouts are nothing compared to the insufferably booming Voice of God.

“YOUR KIND. TRULY INSUFFERABLE PESTS. KNOW YOUR ERASURE IS NOW THE WILL OF THE GREAT RADIANCE. EXISTENCE SMILES UPON YOU AS YOU FADE.”

Everything goes white before reality, or what substitutes for reality here, fades back into existence, Metatron’s hands now reattached with us still in them. They raise the hand with Cat in it high and away from me, leaving me alone, stranded in Metatron’s grasp.

“GIVE MY GIRLS BACK!!”

Zap! Crack! Bang! The sound of thunder crashes against Metatron’s hand to little avail, and I hear more allies approaching, yet helpless all the same as they try to push through more and more angels. The lightning continues until it simply…fizzles out. Each bolt sounding like nothing more than a spark as a translucent barrier of green surrounds me and Metatron’s hand in a sphere.

“So desperate…” a voice rings out from a newly forming summoning circle, its owner rising up on the Voice of God’s arm as she slowly steps towards me.

“Way...wright…”

Our voices are so clear in this sphere of magic, all sounds outside so muted compared to the clarity of hers.

“Had you simply given up from the start, none of this would have happened. And yet you fought. And fought. You fought against fate, the natural order, so here you are. Just out of reach of your friends. But worry not! Soon, you shall know peace, once the foul goddess’ magics have been purified from your body.”

“Wh… What…?! No!” I cough out in response to the witch, still struggling against the odds. “You can’t-- You can’t take it away…!”

But the witch simply shakes her head, kneeling down so we meet face to face.

“How interesting, the will of the curse speaks. Vile demon.”

“I am-- I’m NOT that! I’ve always been here! You can’t…get rid of me!”

Please, don’t strain yourself… There’s nothing we can do like this…!

“Don’t let her do this… We can…still fight…!”

But how?! We’re powerless in Metatron’s grasp…!

“I don’t know! I don’t…know…!”

“Pitiful,” the witch spits, grabbing her staff from off her back and holding her palm in front of my face, just out of reach of my teeth.

“Worry not, Fox. No longer shall this demon infest your body.”

“Y-you’ve got…the wrong idea…!”

“Listen to its dark voice no more!” she shouts, circles of runes forming between her palm and my face as I…I…

My mind becomes foggy. Everything feels off. My…my snout is…receding… No…no no no…!

“N…no…stop…!”

But the witch continues her ritual, the fur on my face pulling back inside to reveal my dark skin, and I can feel the darks of my eyes fading to white as they once were… More than all of that though… I feel something being pulled out of me… Not the voice, not my ascension…

“I…it’s…me…” I stammer as I feel the life, my very soul being torn from my body, and yet somehow, despite my dulling sense, despite the barrier around us, Cat’s screaming somehow only gets louder…

“LET GO OF HER!! STOP!! YOU’RE KILLING HER, STOP!! STOP!!”

Waywright simply ignores her, however.

“This spell is the only method we mages know of to counteract the false goddess’ curse,” she explains, though it means little to my fading mind. “It may be uncomfortable at first, but I promise, the books say the results are incomparable.”

“I’LL KILL YOU!! LET! HER! GO!! STOP HURTING HER!! YOU… YOU…!!”

My ears shrink down…moving back to where they once were a week ago… 

Fight it…! Please…! 

But I…I can’t… I blink, holding onto my consciousness as dearly as I can, looking up at Waywright. She has a pleased smile on her face that…changes. She looks into my eyes and frowns, her magic almost seeming to slow as she begins looking around.

“...Th…this is not what my ancestors wrote… What is...happening…?!”

 

A supernova.

The barrier around us flickers and fails in a moment as an explosion of cosmic proportions bursts from above, engulfing the sound of shattering glass as the entirety of Metatron’s arm holding Cat simply falls apart. High above, from the center point of the explosion, I can barely make out Cat…but from what I can discern, I can tell she’s...different…

Her eyes are completely consumed by a brilliant light, glowing like the sun, just as her flowing hair does before fading into a more galactic pattern. She’s burning. Her fur and hair flicker with an unmatched heat as her anger takes over completely. Glancing around for a moment, I see all our allies staring in awe and fear, Niamh especially as I read her lips saying, “It’s time to go.”

The winged ones begin collecting our allies and flying them away as Cat raises a palm to face upwards, and with barely a moment between, a star shower begins hailing from the sky above, impossibly fast and fiery comets raining hell upon the cloudy landscape. Each explodes into a hellish vortex of flames that consumes multiple seraphim in an instant, the entire storm clearing out much of the army and putting serious dents in Metatron’s lower half.

Not a word is uttered from my partner’s mouth, a silent and infernal rage burning hotter than the sun and flashing out of existence for a brief moment before another supernova occurs elsewhere, Cat now appearing on the ground as she wipes out dozens of the angelic army with a single sweep of the leg, a burning asteroid swarm following her motions and creating absolute destruction.

“Wh-what is the meaning of this?!” Waywright screams, looking between me and my partner.

“A…anger…” I mutter weakly, taking the witch’s focus. “She’s…empowered by anger…”

The fear in Waywright’s eyes is palpable, only growing as the entire army of seraphim is wiped out. Metatron had already begun trying to regenerate their arm, but as Cat looks back to us, it’s obvious that won’t mean anything. She crouches for a moment before leaping into the stars, parting the unnatural light of Metatron’s realm as whirling clouds of stardust form above us. High above, in the center of that storm of stardust, something begins to peek through, then tears through the stardust as it falls… A meteor, bigger than even the Voice of God, falling towards them, Cat slowly walking down its side as if to approach Metatron as the star descends.

“...POWERS BEYOND MY OWN HAVE AWAKENED.”

“Cease this spewing of nonsense and DO SOMETHING!!” Waywright screeches in response to Metatron, but the glass being simply sits down, holding up their regenerating arm as if to stop the falling star, the back of their throne disassembling into millions of shards of glass and floating between them and the meteor to create a shield of sorts. The witch only panics more, stomping on Metatron’s hand until a different light appears behind her…

“Y… Yombroila…” I manage to mutter despite my soul still slowly being torn from my body.

“What…?!”

Much to her disbelief, Waywright turns around to find the Goddess floating behind her, a most serious expression on her face.

“...Inkton.”

“You…” Waywright grumbles, gripping her staff tightly, “Come to gloat at my demise? This utter failure of a plan?!”

But the goddess shakes her head, all while the meteor overhead continues its descent.

“I’ve come to save my children. And make a deal.”

The witch continues to look between the goddess and the threat above.

“What in the gods damn hell are you talking about?!”

“Cat has Transcended. Only she can choose to quell this power, yet you know she will not lest you release her lover.”

Waywright grinds their teeth, pulling at her hair angrily.

“I can’t stop here! I’m nearly there…!”

“Yet you can. You’ve seen it yourself, the effects of the spell passed down by your ancestors. You’re not reversing the effects of my gifts, you are tearing her soul from her body. Not as you’d been taught, I’d imagine. There is a reason the spell had its name and history wiped from your books: Soul Siphon, the will to convert another’s very soul into naught but energy.”

“THIS IS MY LIFE’S WORK!! IT’S ALL I’VE KNOWN, ALL I’VE BEEN ALLOWED TO KNOW! IT CAN’T BE WRONG!!”

The goddess simply shakes her head. “I came here not to chastise you. I’ve come to be taken by you.”

…

“Wh… What…?”

The witch shares my sentiment, looking at Yombroila incredulously.

“Free my dear child. And I will allow you to take me.”

Waywright is an utter mess, but in her fit of confusion, makes a final decision as Cat begins dashing down the meteor. The base of her staff comes down, clanking against Metatron as a burst of magical light emits from her, negating nearby magic for but a moment to reverse the spell stealing my soul and render the Voice of God incapable of holding me any longer. Yombroila flashes underneath me, catching me and taking me to the ground, floating as fast as she can away from the throne while Waywright takes a summoning circle to our distant destination.

We all watch as Cat leaps off the falling star, rocketing straight for Metatron with her fist reeled back before punching them with the force of a thousand stars, piercing and destroying their shield effortlessly before shattering their entire upper half with a single blow to their head. The Voice of God attempts to regenerate, the shattered remains of their body reforming to their previous shape, but Cat shows no mercy to the Radiant, beating them into dust the moment they reform. Again, and again, Metatron tries to reshape, each successive attempt showing their desperation, unable to form back into anything resembling their once grand form as Cat punches with unrelenting cosmic force, kicking with the strength of the cosmos itself. My partner doesn’t even flinch as their meteor falls in tandem with their final strike, obliterating the rest of Metatron in an explosion far greater than even the supernovas she created. The force of the blast tears even the clouds asunder, leaving nothing but the night in her wake while the blast still pushes us all back, even from this distance.

All three of us, perhaps even four, are stunned to silence, Yombroila quietly holding me in the aftermath of the disaster before putting me down and hugging me tightly, my entire body feeling impossibly weak.

“...I am trusting you, my dear Fox,” the goddess says as she pulls away and floats towards the witch. “I will sit idly no longer. We shall end this conflict together. Please...take care of yourself and your family, and seek my final gift back home…”

I let her words rest in my head, unable to process it all fully as exhaustion twists and courses through my body. She looks to Waywright and holds her hands out while the smoke from the meteor only now begins to dissipate.

“I accept whatever comes with your imprisonment.”

Waywright looks up and down Yombroila suspiciously before shaking her head and holding up her hand, what looks to be a contract magically appearing in her palm.

“A simple binding contract. You’ll bring no harm to me. Cast no magics unless I allow. No fine print. I’ll forge something more specific later.”

The goddess nods, that apparently being enough to seal the deal as the contract bursts into magical light, and green chains begin to bind themselves around Yombroila, not actually constricting her movement, but perhaps being more symbolic. The goddess turns to me one last time, a sadness and determination in her eyes.

“I love you, dear Fox. Never forget that.”

With that, a summoning circle appears underneath them both, and they disappear into the darkness, leaving me confused and alone. Perhaps not alone.

 

The realm around me begins to fade as Cat emerges from the smoke, her glowing form beginning to fade once she sees me alone, rushing over only for me to fall weakly into her arms.

“A-are you okay, Fox?! I’m… I’m so sorry I couldn’t do anything sooner, I…!”

I shake my head and hold her as tight as my body will allow.

“I’m…I’m just glad…we’re still alive…”

We both stare on as the realm fades away, creeping closer and closer to us until woosh, in comes our healer.

“Young ladies, we’ve got a lot of talking to do, but I’m willing to save it ‘til we’re somewhere safe. Hop on, kitty.”

Cat obliges, handing me to the snake and getting on Niamh’s back, while the serpent picks me up in her arms, giving her wings a flap and taking off to bring us back down to Dingeton.

I can hear Niamh and Cat talking about something on the way down, even more so as we land next to Sue-Zee and the rest of our allies, but it all goes in one ear and out the other. Niamh lets me down and Cat dismounts, and I immediately fall into Cat’s arms. My eyes are droopy and my brain is mush, so much just happened and I’m having trouble processing it all. I… We’re having trouble processing it all… We’re on the cusp of understanding, but there’s so much pounding away at our mind that we can’t parse a single thing…! All but one thing, actually… Her last gift…

I shake my head. I don’t know what’s being discussed, and Cat has been looking at me with concern this whole time, but I need to go. My body is weak, my mind is jumbled, but I have a goal. So I start running. Exhausted as I feel, I can at least make this body move. Cat is following behind me, Sue-Zee on Niamh too. So all five of us go, all the way back to Railsent.

At the front of town, I see lights, just like from a night ago. There’s people. Lots of them. They all stare at me, fear and aggression in their eyes, and so I slow down. Stop looking at us, please… Cat walks in front of me, shouting something at the crowd before Niamh lets Sue-Zee off her back, and the duo joins in. Harold is at the front. He seems mad. There’s someone else there now, too… James…? He’s arguing with Harold… And now he’s coming over here. Ah… We don’t have time for this. So I run. I keep running, through the crowd, even when there’s some pricks of pain, they stop eventually as we make it to the darker parts of town. Closer and closer to home.

Into the forest. The critters welcome me… They approach as my running slows to a brisk jog, then to a gentle walk. I smile at them. I’ve only known them for a few days, but I feel we understand each other in a way now. We all walk deeper into the forest together, and eventually, we find ourselves at the great big tree in the center. There, in my usual sitting place, something lays. I walk up and pick it up. It’s soft. It feels like Yombroila. It takes the shape of a scarf. It’s comforting. Her final gift to me. I slip it around my neck and sit down, curling up in my spot. So much has happened. So much is going on in my mind. I close my eyes. Even as I hear my partner calling out for me, closer and closer, I keep my eyes closed.

 

I think it’s time to return to the dream.